Entertainers Who Went Flaccid This Year

Adedayo Odulaja
REPORTER, Lagos

As the year 2009 gradually winds to an end, the entertainment industry for the year has witnessed countless innovative and enchanting presentations and performances from musicians, actors, actresses and other industry players.
But on the other side of the divide are those who, by their performances at a time or the other, their promise or sheer noise-making, gave the impression that they would bring something spectacular to the table or would be like hot coals but at the end of the day, they are neither here or there in the running for names that made 2009 a memorable year.
It might be surprising that the focus on the celebrities drawn from the music and movie circles who refuse to marry the heights of success that industry watchers betrothed to them will contain different names, from the superstars to the not-so-big names in the entertainment square.
Probably the biggest name in the list of artistes that flopped in the outgoing year is that of Eedris Abdulkareem.
Eedris, whose other names are Turayo and Ajenifuja, is also widely known as Mr Lecturer, a name drawn from the title of his very well received second album of the same name.
Eedris was a pivotal member of The Remedies, the pioneering three-member music group through whom we can say hip hop was born in Nigeria and after the duo of Eedris and Eddy decided to go their separate ways after Tony Tetuila had left after the very first album of the group. With P.A.S.S, Mr. Lecturer, Jaga Jaga (which was a stinging criticism directed at the former president) but that was as far as Eedris could go until he got into trouble as a result of a bitter scuffle with 50 Cent in the latter’s time for a concert in Nigeria.
Although he released another album titled Mr President, his popularity waned and in spite of the expectation that greeted his collaboration with erstwhile arch enemy, Ruggedman in his new The King is Back album could sway the fans, let alone the market, in Eedris’ favour and one can only hope Eedris, a crowd favourite who has had the once-in-a-lifetime privilege of carrying the Olympic torch would reclaim his place in the music arena.
Innocent Ujah Idibia might not be such a familiar name but mention 2face or Tuface Idibia and ladies around would become unsure of their reaction.
Tu Baba, the handsome Idoma boy reported to be probably in competition with America’s Lil Wayne on who would come up with the highest number of kids from different women, was forced by hostile reception to shift the release date of the album from 2008 to 2009 instead of the proposed release date announced in 2007 and in spite of the huge promo concerning the feature of the sensational R Kelly, the album can best be described as an album that refuse to fly. This is the reason the prodigiously talented and multiple award-winning act whose pouch is brimming with many awards is a big feature of the list entertainment players that flopped in 2009 and whether he is really unstoppable or not, the new year might just be the time to find out but for 2009, he was more popular for his ability to father children than for his musical ability.
We all know Peter and Paul, the talented singing and dancing Okoye twins we like to call P Square and releasing their albums a few weeks before the yuletide is one business strategy that has always worked so well for them but Danger, their lastest album does not seem to be following the trend. Anyone still in doubt should go into the clubs and confirm and then rewind back to this time in 2007 when ‘Do Me’ was all the crowd wanted to dance to and so, either we like it or not, the verdict is that P Sqaure, whose “Get Squared” video once held the no 1 position on the MTV Base chart for four straight weeks, after all the hype and waiting, were expected to raise the bar a little higher but feelers are not showing they can even match the success of Game Over but even if they ever will, of course, not in 2009.
Emmanuel Nzemeke is the name of an artiste known as Kaha, an erstwhile pal of Rhymzo but he is little known although “Omo Ele,” a single from his albumback in 2002, Party Buddie got honourable airplay and Heart Robber, a track featuring 2face would be easily identified by nigerian music buffs although little is known of the name, Kaha. The album, whose promo single hit the airwaves few weeks after 2face was shot in 2007, was expected to catapult the Economisc and Statistics graduate to the eldorado of music success which he desires so much but 2009 has come and gone but little has changed for the ghetto child who almost joined the Plantahsun Boyz back in IMT Enugu.
The emergence of diminutive rapper, MI might be due to the cleansing or if you like, dissing job Ruggedman did some years back.
The Lagos State University graduate took Rasqie, Eedris Abdulkareem, Maintain, Black Reverendz and others to the cleaners with “Ehen”and followed up with “Peace or War” and gave fans “Baraje” but after his second album, Ruggedy Baba, which includes the lead single “Ruggedy Baba” (featuring 9ice) and Club Rugged which was said to have moved over one hundred thousand units after only three weeks of release and that is where the story seems to end for the fabulous rapper. News of retirement have trailed the ‘controversial character’ but the promise of a banging, pace-setting last album is not being fulfilled by the contentious music man at least as far as 2009 is concerned.
This time last year, shouts of ‘ID Cabasa, Lord of Ajasa, nkan to ba wun anybody no le fi enu won so’ was not far from television sets and that was a pointer to the fact that Lord of Ajasa really held it down. Olusegun Osaniyi, the Ikare-Akoko born lyricist had just released the video of “Le Fenu So” and many believed 2009 held so much promise for the man described as a rhymesayer but it seems the people are not feeling him so much now. It is actually not because he has lost his appeal but the fact that he was only active for the early part of the year accounts for his appearance on this list. With no video from his last album or a club banger to usher in the new year right about now, Lord, as some call him, would definitely hope for better prospects in 2010.
This definitely does not begin and end with only music stars. Ini Edo is one actress after the hearts of so many brothers but then, she got married this year and that is about all that made some sense about her this year. Maybe marriage has slowed her down or it is something else, 2010 would be a good time to find out but in her inactive status for the major part of 2009 earned her a place among flops for the year.
DJ Zeez hit gold, so to speak, with “O 4kasibe” which became an object of passionate love for those who only care for a good dance and that of intense hate for those who go a step higher to look at content. The handsome dude, who calls himself a mixed breed with an Igbo father and Yoruba mother became known by a single called “Same Ni” in 2005 but as it happened then, no other effort seems forthcoming after the track that fetched awards for the massively accepted street song and whether he has all it takes to replicate such remains to be seen but the fans are already asking if it was just a one off and with a stage name that has DJ in it, probably expressing the idea of another option and a Cadillac to show for his efforts, will Zeez give fans more or ‘call their bluff’?
Genevieve Nnaji is an immensely popular Nigerian actress who has been considered probably the biggest Nollywood player but for 2009, something remarkable was recorded when she was recognized by Oprah Winfrey as the most popular movie personality in Africa, following a painstaking survey carried out to arrive at the conclusion.
Aside this undoubtedly monumental achievement, not much washeard of Genevieve in 2009 as far as music and movies arenas are concerned and she belongs to this list for now but so many fans would be happy if she repositions better for 2010.
The identified players are not the only ones who failed to fly in 2009, there are so many others like Zaki Adzzay, Muma Gee, Fathia Balogun, Lagbaja, Tony Tetuila, Durella, Olu Mainatin e.t.c who did little or nothing for the outgoing year and could be said to have fallen by the way side in the battle for relevance in the soul of the entertainment arena.